


More Than a Rival

by Misskiku



Series: Bederia Goodness [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst, Apologies, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:26:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22434868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Misskiku/pseuds/Misskiku
Summary: Bede callously mutters that he wished he didn't live in the same century as Gloria after losing to the champion again and is shocked at Gloria's expression.Weren't they just rivals?Why did she look so hurt?And why did it bother him so much?
Relationships: Beet | Bede/Yuuri | Gloria
Series: Bederia Goodness [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1630534
Comments: 27
Kudos: 233





	1. Chapter 1

"Why did I have to be born in the same century as you?" 

A single sentence, muttered in frustration. Exacerbation. He didn't mean it, not really. Bede hadn't really been serious when the words left his mouth without a thought, huffed in a moment of chagrin as he clenched his hands into fists at his side after suffering another defeat at the hands of the champion. 

Bede didn't expect a flash of hurt to ripple behind Gloria's eyes. It was so sudden, the stab of pain in her eyes like a crash of lightning before a blackout. 

There was no light behind her eyes. 

Bede's heart stammered to a halt. "Wait, I mean-" 

He didn't get to finish. Gloria strode up to him before he could take a breath and snatched his right hand in a tight handshake. The smile on her face was blinding. Too bright. 

Too forced. 

"Thanks for the match, Bede!" Gloria said, her words sharp and stiff and rigid like her handshake. Before Bede could respond, before he could get any words to form in his throat or process the glimmer of tears in her eyes, she was gone. Stalking across the pitch as the crowd roared around them.

Bede followed as quickly as he could without hinting to the crowd that anything was amiss. The waiting room was empty, save for a lone staff member, face white as a sheet. 

"Where did she go?" Bede demanded, surprised at the urgency in his voice. "The champion. Where did she go?" The look Gloria gave him kept repeating in his mind. An expression of disbelief, of betrayal, that he'd felt before. 

When the world he'd known had shattered at his feet. 

"The champion left through the back," the staff member said, a look of concern on his face that didn't bode well for Bede. 

Bede shot out the back door in time to see a corviknight taxi take off, a brief sight of the long brown hair of the single occupant before the Pokemon shot into the sky. 

"Gloria!" 

Bede knew the moment he'd called her name that there was no point. She couldn't hear him. 

As he watched her figure, and the corviknight, fade off into the distance, Bede couldn't stifle the mounting feeling that he had destroyed something he didn't know how to fix.

\----- 

Bede couldn't get the sight of her out of his head. He couldn't stop seeing the smile on her face fracture at his words. The beginning of tears in her eyes. The forced smile. 

The pain he'd caused. 

And he couldn't understand why. 

Why had he said that? Why had those words been the ones that spilled from his mouth? 

He had no right to blame her for his loss, for the way his life had screwed up. He'd done that well enough himself. 

And he didn't blame her. He didn't even want to be born in a different century than her. It had just been an expression of frustration at her having everything he'd ever wanted. 

Everything he had wanted.

Worst of all, Bede didn't understand why his words had cut so deep as if his muttered frustration had stabbed Gloria right through the heart. 

They weren't close by any means. They were simply rivals. 

Weren't they? 

Bede sighed after defeating the last challenger for the day without even breaking a sweat. He hadn't even needed to dynamax. 

It only made him realise how much he valued challenging Gloria, even if she wiped the floor with his single-type team every time. He valued their rivalry. He valued their… what? 

What were they? 

Would his words have caused such a reaction in a mere rival? 

Bede ran a hand through his thick curls and sighed. The thoughts swirling around and around his mind were giving him a headache. He wasn't going to come up with an answer this way. Not like this, not by himself. 

Bede left the gym without another thought and called a corviknight taxi. 

He had to get an answer from the source. 

\-----

She wasn't at Wyndon stadium. 

Bede didn't know why he'd thought to find her there and left before the receptionist could ask any further questions. 

He landed in Postwick next. He should've gone there first. He knew that. But the idea of randomly popping up at Gloria's house caused a strange weight to settle in his stomach. He only knew where she lived because she'd mentioned once that she lived right next to the Slumbering Weald and even then Bede double guessed himself as he stared up at the quaint house. 

It was… homely. Even from the outside Bede could tell that it was well looked after, the lush garden full of flowering plants of different kinds, a pair of budew crooning from the garden bed. The strange weight in Bede's stomach sank deeper. Heavier. It made his movements stiff as he approached the door. 

Before Bede could question what on earth he was doing, he knocked sharply on the door and stepped back. 

He hadn't expected an older woman to answer the door instead of Gloria. A jolt of embarrassment rushed through his veins as he realised it had to be Gloria's mother. They had the same bright eyes, the same chocolate brown hair.

Bede saw Gloria's smile in her mother as she greeted him. 

"Is Gloria here?" Bede asked quickly, feeling utterly unprepared beneath the woman's welcoming smile. He tugged on his collar habitually, despite the fact that he was still in his gym gear. He hadn't thought to change. 

He hadn't thought about what he was doing at all. 

"Come in, I'll go and grab her for you," Gloria's mother said, waving Bede inside before disappearing deeper into the house. Bede didn't step in further than the entryway, feeling suddenly out of place. 

This was Gloria's house. 

Her house. 

She lived here. 

Bede forced himself to stare at a single spot on the floor lest his wandering gaze distract him from what he came here to do. He had to focus. Focus. Not get distracted by the dinner table at which Gloria would eat at or the couch in the lounge room which she would sit. Or the family photos on the wall, showing Gloria's beaming smile in all its shining glory. 

Bede stiffened as if he'd been caught committing a crime when Gloria's mother reappeared, a quizzical look on her face. 

"Sorry Bede. Gloria's… a bit busy right now." She gave him an apologetic smile. 

Bede swallowed, mouth dry. Of course. He should've expected that. 

Why would she want to see him after what he said? 

Bede quickly composed himself. "Sorry to bother you."

"I'm sorry. You came all this way, too." 

Bede shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "It's fine. It wasn't important." 

He left without saying much more, the cool evening air outside eliciting a heavy sigh from him as he trudged down the path. Bede glanced at the gate to the Slumbering Weald before turning and heading towards the town. He'd barely gotten a few steps down the path when footsteps crunched behind him. 

Bede's heart caught in his chest as he whirled to see Gloria standing right there, right before him, a sudden appearance that stole all thoughts, all words and questions he had from his mind. She took a wary step forward, her face impassive save for the guarded look in her eyes. 

Bede hadn't expected this. Hadn't expected her to follow him out, hadn't expected to see her slightly breathless, a dusting of pink on her cheeks, hair slightly damp from a shower. 

He hadn't expected to see her in such casual clothing, a loose white T-shirt and black trackpants. Fuzzy pink slippers on her feet. 

He was staring. She was waiting for him to say something. To react. 

His mouth was dry. 

"You came all this way," Gloria began and shrugged, cutting through the stiff silence before folding her arms. She looked away, her expression hardening slightly. Guarded. "May as well see what you want."

Bede forced himself to swallow. He felt warm despite the cool air.

He wasn't good at this.

"I came to apologise." May as well get to the point before the rising heat on his cheeks rendered his thoughts useless. 

Gloria eyed him warily. Studying his face. The silence was deafening before she spoke. "Why? Didn't you mean what you said? That you wished you'd been born in a different century than me? Or when you said that I was destroying everything you wanted? Or those things you said to Hop-" 

"-I get it, I get it!" Bede cut Gloria off hurriedly, a shameful flush burning on his cheek as he cringed. "I've said a lot of stupid- a lot of awful things. I'm sorry. For all of them." Bede's shoulders sank and he sighed. "And I didn't mean it." 

Gloria raised a confused eyebrow. "Didn't mean what?" She unfolded her arms, looking at his face, looking at him as if waiting to hear those words. To hear a confirmation. 

Of what, Bede didn't know. 

"I don't want to live in a different century than you," Bede said quietly, his words sounding loud in his ears. "I'm glad… I'm glad that I'm living in the same century as you. That I met you." 

Gloria's eyes widened. 

Bede whirled on his feet. "That's all!" He moved to rush away, to flee from the burning heat Gloria's stare was causing to flare hotly over his face and down his neck. Her hand caught his wrist, stopping Bede in his tracks. 

"Bede, wait!" 

"Wh-what?! Is that not enough for you? Do you want me to apologise for everything? To get down on my knees and beg for your forgiveness so you won't ignore me?" 

He wasn't looking at her. The tips of his ears burned crimson. 

"Bede!" Gloria huffed and stepped around his stiffened form to face him. To force him to face her. 

He wore an embarrassed scowl that brought a soft smile to Gloria's face. Her hand slipped from his wrist to hold his gently. A sharp gasp escaped from Bede, sounding impossibly loud in the silence. As loud as his heart thrumming in his ears.

Her hand was warm. Soft. 

He barely heard her speak of the rushing of blood in his ears. 

"Thank you." She squeezed his hand. His heart squeezed in response. 

Oh. 

All Bede could focus on was the feeling of his hand in hers, her soft fingers brushing his. He was glad he'd decided to remove his gloves earlier- 

Oh.

Oh no. 

This wasn't… he didn't… 

Bede wished he could pull up the collar of his pink jacket, wished he could swat away her hand and curse the blush off his cheeks. 

It hit him all too suddenly he didn't have any words. He just nodded. Stiffly. Still blushing. 

Gloria wasn't just a rival to him. Not anymore. 

He was in love with her.


	2. More Than a Crush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bede struggles to come to terms with his feelings towards Gloria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I NEEDED MORE BEDE IN DENIAL SO THIS HAPPENED!!!

Bede didn't know how he ended up back home. The journey back to Ballonlea was a blur. He stumbled forward onto his bed, flopping face-down as his mind whirled. 

His heart still raced. Pounding in his chest, thundering in his ears, it hadn't slowed at all from the rapid pace sparked by Gloria taking his hand. He turned his head to stare at it. His fingers tingled. He could feel the ghost of her touch even now. 

Bede's cheeks burned hotly. He scrunched his face, grumbling. 

_ He was in love with Gloria.  _

He squeezed his eyes shut in frustration and he saw her smile. That sweet smile of hers, dazzling in the moonlight, appeared in his mind as though she were right before him. He heard the way she called his name, heard her bright twinkle of laughter. 

_ He was in love with Gloria.  _

Bede rolled onto his back and pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes with a silent scream. 

"How could I be-?!" he hissed in the silence of his room. 

He wanted to grind the memory of her smile, the feeling of her hand in his, from his mind. The heat coiling on his cheeks began to ache. His heart fluttered dangerously fast. 

_ This… is this really…?  _

_ … Love?  _

The surge of emotions coursing through him made it difficult to breathe. 

He threw his hands off his face, pounding the mattress beside him with a huff. 

No, this wasn't love. If anything, it was a crush. That's all. 

A silly crush. Infatuation. His heart was racing because of the situation, not because of her. Perhaps he'd gotten caught up in the moment and mistaken the pounding of his heart for something else. 

Either way, it would pass. He wouldn't let  _ this _ , whatever it was, change anything. 

He certainly wasn't going to let it turn him into some ridiculous, love-struck fool. It was a crush. Nothing more. 

And he would crush it into dust.

* * *

_ She was here.  _

Bede slammed the locker room door shut as quickly as he'd opened it after catching a glimpse of Gloria. He stared at the door, eyes wide and unseeing. Frozen with his hand on the doorknob, his breath caught in his throat, he stared at nothing. 

Against his will, heat began to pool on his cheeks. 

It had been days since he'd seen her, since that moment on the path outside her house, yet a single glance was all it took to send him right back there. To that moment in the darkness, illuminated by moonlight, their hands joined in the space between them. 

_ Why is she here?!  _

This was  _ his _ exhibition match with Milo. Not hers. She had no reason to be here, no reason to appear out of nowhere and sent his heart stuttering. 

Bede inhaled sharply, scowling at the back of the door as though it had offended him. 

_ It's just a crush, _ he told himself. Scolded himself.  _ Get over it! _

He straightened, raised his head, steeled his expression, and opened the door. And saw Gloria right in front of him. 

"Hey, Bede!" she chimed, smiling sweetly at him. 

Bede's heart skipped, stealing the air from his lungs, and he blinked at her for a stunned moment before he could think clearly enough to reply. 

"What are you doing here?" he huffed, pushing past her to the waiting room. He busied himself with his bag, his Pokeballs, so he didn't have to look at her. "Don't you have more important things to attend to, Champion?" 

"Not today, I don't!" 

She skipped over to him, unphased by his clipped tone. He warmed involuntarily as she appeared in the corner of his eyes. 

"So, you thought you'd come bother me instead?" 

He frowned, annoyed at his stammering heart and his inability to swallow the emotions flustering in his chest. 

_ It's just a crush, _ he reminded himself.  _ You're not in love with her. _

"I didn't know you were here, actually. I came to watch Milo's exhibition match. I didn't know you were his opponent." 

Bede's frown deepened. "Then why aren't you bothering him instead?" 

"I was just speaking to him earlier. And I wasn't  _ bothering _ him. We're friends." 

_ Friends. _

His brow twitched. Something heavy dropped into his gut. 

"Well, you're bothering me. If it's all the same to you, I'd like to prepare for my match in peace."

"Wow, what's up with you today? Woke up on the wrong side of the bed or something?" 

"I have not." 

"Then what's the issue?" 

He bit back a frustrated huff. "Is it really too much to ask for peace and quiet before my match? Or is it part of the Champion's duties to hover around like a Combee?"

"It's not, but-" 

"Then would you quit being a nuisance and let me prepare in silence?" 

"Only when you tell me why you're acting like this!" 

"Like what?" 

"Like… like a jerk! I just wanted to come and wish you well for the match and you've done nothing but begrate me the whole time!" 

Bede snapped his head towards her at the crack in her voice, his eyes blowing wide. She pouted, arms folded, cheeks puffed, her eyes narrowed at him in defiance. Unshed tears glistened when she blinked. 

"You didn't even look at me," she added quietly. "I thought… we were past this." 

His heart plummeted, blood running cold with shame. His mind screeched to a halt. Anything he could have said vanished like a puff of smoke in a breeze. Swept away when she exhaled a soft, dejected sigh. 

"Is that what I am to you? A nuisance? A bother?" She looked away, her expression falling. "I thought that maybe… we were friends. I guess I was wrong. Sorry to bother you." 

She whirled to leave. 

"Wait-!" 

She stilled. Stood there with her back to him for a moment, a second that felt like a lifetime, before turning slightly to face him.

Bede's heart was in his throat. Beneath her wary gaze, he felt the same as he had that night. When he'd lanced her with his words and fumbled through an apology just to see her again, to see her smile- 

His jaw clenched. Hands tightened into fists at his sides, a familiar trickle of warmth running through his veins. 

He knew this feeling well. A feeling that came all of a sudden, washing everything else away. His hesitation, his doubts. A feeling that made him throw everything else out door and burst onto the stadium to challenge her in front of the world. 

A feeling that made him do stupid things, say stupid things… 

_ It's just a crush.  _

_ This isn't…  _

His heart thrummed. He met her eyes, taking a breath to focus himself. 

"I suppose, if you had to put a name to it, that we are friends," Bede said. 

She looked at him, her expression unchanging. 

It wasn't enough. The pounding of his heart was insistent. Deafening. Words he couldn't say, things he wouldn't admit, danced on his tongue. 

"It doesn't seem like it," Gloria countered. "Whenever I speak to you, you're always… like this." She gestured at him. "You just said I was being a nuisance and now you're saying we're friends? Which is it? Do you want me around, or not? Because… I'm not sure how much of this I can take. If you want me to leave you alone, I will. I won't bother you again." 

She turned her head away, hugging her arms to her chest.

"You said you were glad to meet me. To live in the same century as me. But when you act like this, how am I supposed to believe that?" 

"Gloria, I-" he tripped on his words. 

Saying her name was enough to make his tongue fumble. His heart swelled with everything he could say, filling and overflowing with a feeling he didn't dare name. 

How could he explain any of this when he didn't understand it himself? 

"You're not a bother," he managed to choke out. He sighed, exhaling the air he'd held tight in his lungs. "It was a… poor choice of words. I'm sorry." 

Her expression lifted slightly, enough to make his pulse skitter. She met his eyes again, searching his face. 

"Then, what did you mean?" 

"I needed some space, that's all. I'm not used to having people around me like this." 

"Having people around you? Like… friends?" 

He huffed. "That doesn't matter. I want to focus on the match and you keep distracting me." 

"Distracting you?" 

_ Wait-  _

_ He didn't mean to say that-  _

Gloria's mouth quirked in a smile, a flicker of light returning to her eyes in amusement. Bede met her grin with a glare.

"Wipe that ridiculous grin off your face. I didn't mean it like that and you know it." 

"Mean it like what?" 

Laughter twinkled in her eyes. 

He huffed. "Get your head out of the clouds. I meant that having to converse with a friend was distracting from my preparations, that's all." 

The jitter of his heart said otherwise. Her smile brightened, the corners of her eyes crinkling in an adorable way that made his pulse skip. 

"We're friends," she said, sounding those words out like a dreamy sigh. Whimsical and breathless. "I think I can actually believe that now."

A spear of heat blazed through him, shooting from his face to the tips of his fingers, sending his blood aflame. He felt warm. Too warm. Warm and dizzy and breathless- 

He looked away in fear that he'd combust. 

_ What was this?  _

_ What was wrong with him? _

_ Wasn't this just a simple crush? An infatuation with the girl who beat him time and time again, who bothered herself with him for no good reason?  _

_ Wasn't this meant to be nothing more than a mix up of adrenaline for something deeper? Confusing the rush of battle, the unpredictable nature of Gloria, with feeling towards her?  _

When he lifted his eyes to look at her again, she was right before him. Her smile dazzling in front of his face. His breath caught silently in his throat when she touched his arm. The warmth of her fingers bled through his sleeves. 

"Good luck with your match, Bede," she said. "I'll leave you to prepare, then." 

He couldn't breathe. She whirled on her feet, leaving him with the sight of her brown hair swishing just above her shoulders. She left with a final coy wave, a smile at him over her shoulder. 

He stared at the door long after she'd gone. His heart refused to slow. His fingers trembled at his sides, burning with the urge to grab her hand as she'd turned to leave. He'd almost done it. Almost reached out for her hand. 

Her smile remained the only thing in his mind. 

He couldn't do it. Couldn't deny it any longer. 

Somehow, somewhere along the way, he'd fallen for her. He'd fallen in love with Gloria. 

The Champion. His rival. The girl from Postwick that he never thought he'd think twice about. 

Gloria. 

Bede sighed heavily, dropping onto the bench with a resigned huff. 

_ Arceus.  _

_ This wasn't supposed to happen! _

Her smile flashed in his mind. Her wish of good luck, the gentle touch of her hand on his arm. 

Bede hung his head. 

_ Damn it.  _

At least, for now, she didn't have any idea how he felt. 

He would do everything to keep it that way.

It might not be as something as simple and fleeting as a crush, but it could still be suppressed. 

He wasn't about to let her, or anyone else, know how he felt. 


End file.
